Communicating discovery information from remote control devices

ABSTRACT

A set top box receives from a remote control device one or more of a codeset identifier, data indicative of a brand and model for a consumer electronic device, and remote control diagnostic information. The set top box then causes information representative of the received codeset identifier, data indicative of a brand and model for a consumer electronic device, and remote control diagnostic information to be displayed in a display device associated with the set top box.

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This application is a divisional of and claims the benefit of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/070,686, filed on Feb. 20, 2008, the disclosureof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate to remote control devices, morespecifically, to a method of communicating discovery information fromremote control devices.

BACKGROUND

Remote control devices transmit operational signals to controlelectronic consumer devices such as TVs, VCRs, set-top boxes, audio hometheatre systems, and CD/DVD players. Each operational signalcommunicates a keycode associated with a selected electronic consumerdevice. Each keycode corresponds to a function of the selectedelectronic consumer device, such as power on, power off, volume up,volume down, play, stop, select, channel up, channel down, etc. Aparticular brand and make of electronic consumer device responds tooperational signals. Each operational signal encodes a keycode. Theelectronic consumer device receives the operational signal, decodes thekeycode, and in response performs a corresponding function. The set ofkeycodes (as well as associated system codes, protocol informationand/or formatting information) for generating operational signals for aparticular electronic consumer device is referred to here as a codeset.

A remote control device uses a particular codeset to control acorresponding electronic consumer device. A universal remote control(URC) device, on the other hand, generally stores hundreds of codesetsin a codeset database and can be programmed to use a particular codesetamong the codeset database to control a corresponding electronicconsumer device.

There are many codesets used in the market. Each codeset is identifiedby a codeset identifier. Because of the large number of differentelectronic consumer devices and corresponding codesets, it is difficultto discover the codeset identifier that is used by a particular remotecontrol device. It is also difficult to program a universal remotecontrol device that is capable of controlling a very large number ofdifferent electronic consumer devices.

SUMMARY

A method involves communicating remote control discovery informationfrom a remote control device to a receiver. The remote control device isused to control a particular electronic consumer device. The remotecontrol discovery information may, for example, include: a codesetidentifier that identifies a codeset stored in the remote controldevice, device information, diagnostic information, and/or marketinginformation. The device information may include a device description,and/or device characteristics information that correspond to theelectronic consumer device. The remote control discovery information istransmitted from the remote control device to the receiver as part of awireless communication.

In one novel aspect, a system includes a remote control device and areceiver. The remote control device is operable in both a normaloperational mode and a discovery mode. In the normal operational mode,the remote control device transmits operational signals to control aparticular electronic consumer device. In the discovery mode, the remotecontrol device transmits remote control discovery information to thereceiver. By transmitting the remote control discovery information fromthe remote control device, the remote control device and thecorresponding electronic consumer device can be easily identified. Inaddition, the remote control discovery information can be easilycollected and used for diagnostic and marketing purposes.

In one example, the receiver is a set-top box. The set-top box isconnected to an online central database through a network. Uponreceiving the remote control discovery information, the set-top boxprocesses the discovery information and responds accordingly. In oneexample, the receiver receives a codeset identifier and in responsedisplays the codeset identifier on a display screen. In another example,the receiver receives a codeset identifier and in response retrieves acodeset corresponding to the codeset identifier from the online centraldatabase. In addition, the receiver loads the retrieved codeset onto auniversal remote control device such that the universal remote controldevice can control the electronic consumer device.

Other embodiments and advantages are described in the detaileddescription below. This summary does not purport to define theinvention. The invention is defined by the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, where like numerals indicate like components,illustrate embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system in accordance with one novel aspect.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of the system in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an operational signal using binary transmission.

FIG. 4 illustrates an operational signal using pulse width modulation.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for transmitting remote controldiscovery information from a remote control device in accordance withone novel aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system 1 in accordance with one novel aspect.System 1 includes a remote control device 2, a television (TV) 3, aVCR/DVD player 4, a set-top box 5, a network 6, an online centraldatabase 7, and a universal remote control device 20. Remote controldevice 2 includes a key 8, a light emitting diode (LED) 9. In one novelaspect, remote control device 2 is operable in both a normal operationalmode and a discovery mode. Typically, a user uses remote control device2 to control a selected electronic consumer device such as TV 3 in thenormal operational mode. The user may press key 8 on remote controldevice 2 to turn on/off the power of TV 3. When the user presses key 8,remote control 2 emits an operational signal (for instance, an infraredsignal) 10 from LED 9. Operational signal 10 is transmitted to aninfrared receiver 13 of TV 3. Infrared receiver 13 receives operationalsignal 10, and recovers the keycode and takes appropriate action, whichin this case is to turn on or turn off TV 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, remote control 2 transmits remote controldiscovery information 11 when remote control device 2 is in thediscovery mode. In one example, a user presses a predefined sequence ofkeys on remote control device 2 such that remote control device 2 entersinto the discovery mode. Remote control device 2 then transmits remotecontrol discovery information 11 to receiver 12. Remote control device 2exits the discovery mode and returns back to the normal operational modeafter the remote control discovery information 11 is transmitted. In theexample of FIG. 1, receiver 12 is a part of set-top box 5. After set-topbox 5 receives the remote control discovery information 11, set-top box5 interprets and processes the remote control discovery informationaccordingly.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of the system in FIG. 1. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, remote control device 2 includes a processor 31and a memory 32. Memory 32 includes a codeset identifier 33, deviceinformation 34, a key index table 35, and a codeset #123 36 that is usedto control TV 3. Universal remote control device 20 includes a processor41 and a memory 42. Memory 42 includes a device index table 43, acodeset index table 44, a key index table 45, and a codeset database 46.Online central database 7 includes a codeset database 51 and a deviceinformation database 52. In the example of FIG. 2, receiver 12 is a partof set-top box 5 and is capable of receiving and transmittingoperational signals such as infrared signals. Receiver 12 includes an IRreceiver 14 and an IR transmitter 15.

When remote control device 2 is in its discovery mode, remote controldevice 2 transmits the remote control discovery information 11 toreceiver 12. In the presently described embodiment, the remote controldiscovery information 11 includes a unique codeset identifier 33 that isstored in memory 32 of remote control device 2. In one example, remotecontrol device 2 uses codeset #123 to control TV 3 (for instance, aTOSHIBA TV with model number 42Lx177), and codeset identifier 33 is athree digit number (for instance, number 123 as illustrated in FIG. 2)that identifies codeset #123. When receiver 12 receives codesetidentifier 33, the three digit number 123 is displayed on a displayscreen of TV 3 that is connected to receiver 12. Alternatively, thethree digit number 123 is forwarded to online central database 7.Therefore, by transmitting codeset identifier 33 from remote controldevice 2, it can be easily discovered that codeset #123 is used byremote control device 2 to control a TOSHIBA television with modelnumber 42Lx177.

The transmitted codeset identifier 33 can also be used by a user toprogram a universal remote control device 20 to control TV 3. If codeset#123 is already stored in codeset database 46 of universal remotecontrol device 20, then the user simply programs universal remotecontrol 20 to use codeset #123 by entering the three digit number 123displayed on the display screen of TV 3. If, however, codeset #123 isnot stored in codeset database 46 of universal remote control 20, thenreceiver 12 retrieves the actual codeset #123 from codeset database 51of online central database 7 through network 6. In addition, receiver 12transmits an operational signal 21 that includes the actual codeset#123. In the example of FIG. 2, universal remote control device 20 is atwo-way remote control device which includes an IR receiver 23 and an IRtransmitter 24. When operational signal 21 is received by IR receiver23, universal remote control device 20 recovers codeset #123 and loadscodeset #123 into its codeset database 46 and programs itself to usecodeset #123 to control TV 3.

Codeset identifier 33 is transmitted and received as part of a wirelesscommunication between remote control device 2 and receiver 12. In thepresently illustrated example, infrared signals are transmitted fromremote control device 2 and received by receiver 12. Various protocolsmay be used in transmitting the infrared signals. FIG. 3 illustrates aninfrared signal using binary transmission. In the example of FIG. 3, thedata (codeset identifier 33) is a sequence of bits 01111011 {equivalentto decimal 123) and is transmitted in the infrared signal as a stream ofdigital values in binary transmission format.

FIG. 4 illustrates an infrared signal using pulse width modulation. Inthe example of FIG. 4, the data (codeset identifier 33) is modulatedonto the infrared signal using pulse width modulation. Digital ones andzeros are characterized by pairs of marks and spaces. A digital zero hasa shorter duration of mark time than a digital one.

Although remote control discovery information 11 includes a codesetidentifier in the previously described example, remote control discoveryinformation 11 may also include various other types of information suchas device information, diagnostic information, and/or marketinginformation. In one example, remote control discovery information 11includes the device information of the electronic consumer device (forinstance, TV 3) controlled by remote control device 2. The deviceinformation further comprises information such as a device descriptionand device characteristics information. The device description containsinformation such as a brand name, a model number, and a device type thatdescribe the electronic consumer device. For instance, the devicedescription may be a text message of “Toshiba TV 42Lx177” that describesan electronic consumer device that is a plasma TV with model number42LX177 manufactured by Toshiba. Device characteristics informationincludes operational behavior of the electronic consumer device such aswhether the device requires “ENTER” key after DIGIT entry for channelselection, and/or how long it will take from receiving POWER signal tothe completion of power on process. Similar to codeset identifier 33,the device description can also be displayed on a display screen toenable a user to discover what type of electronic consumer device iscontrolled by remote control device 2.

In another example, remote control discovery information 11 includesdiagnostic information and marketing information. The diagnosticinformation contains information of remote control device 2 such as howmuch battery charges are left in remote control device 2 and what is thestatus of remote control device 2. Diagnostic information is thereforeuseful in assisting a user to diagnose any potential problems of remotecontrol device 2. The marketing information contains information ofremote control device 2 such as usage and viewing habit of remotecontrol device 2 used by a particular user. By transmitting themarketing information to online central database 7, useful informationcan be gathered and used in marketing and advertising activities.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method 100 for transmitting remote controldiscovery information from a remote control device in accordance withone novel aspect. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the remote control devicetypically operates in the normal operational mode (step 101) to controla particular electronic consumer device (for instance, TV 3). When auser presses a predefined sequence of keys (for instance, MENU key plusENTER key together) on the remote control device (step 102), the remotecontrol device enters the discovery mode. In the discovery mode, theremote control device transmits the remote control discovery information(step 103). As illustrated above, the remote control discoveryinformation may include a codeset identifier, device information,diagnostic information, and/or marketing information. In one example,each type of the remote control discovery information is associated witha specific key on the remote control device. For instance, if the userpresses a numeric key “1”, then the remote control device transmits acodeset identifier (for instance, a three digit number 123) stored inthe remote control device. If the user presses a numeric key “2”, thenthe remote control device transmits device information (for instance,text message “Toshiba TV 42LX177”) associated with the electronicconsumer device controlled by the remote control device. Finally, if theuser presses another predefined sequence of keys (for instance, MENO keyplus EXIT key together) on the remote control device (step 104)₁ thenthe remote control device exits the discovery mode and returns back toits normal operational mode.

In the above described embodiment of FIG. 5, the remote control deviceenters a discovery mode in order to transmit the remote controldiscovery information. In another embodiment, however, the remotecontrol device may not need to have the discovery mode for the purposeof transmitting the remote control discovery information. For example,the remote control device may transmit the remote control discoveryinformation whenever it receives a particular key press or a signalwithout entering into the discovery mode. Alternatively, the remotecontrol device may transmit the remote control discovery informationperiodically under a predetermined time interval (for instance, every 10minutes).

For additional information on codesets, the generation of operationalsignals, universal remote control devices, their uses and relatedtopics, see: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/737,129, filed Dec. 16,2003, by Daniel SauFu Mui, entitled “Relaying Key Code Signals through aRemote Control Device”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/777,023,filed Feb. 10, 2004, by Lee et al., entitled Interactive Web-BasedCodeset Selection And Development Tool”; U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/928,808, filed Aug. 27, 2004, by Provis et al., entitled “An8-Bit Register-Based Virtual Machine” (the subject matter of thesedocuments is incorporated herein by reference).

Although certain specific exemplary embodiments are described above inorder to illustrate the invention, the invention is not limited to thespecific embodiments. For example, remote control device 2 could be auniversal remote control device that is capable of transmitting theremote control discovery information. Remote control device 2 could alsobe a radio frequency (RF) remote control device instead of an infrared(IR) remote control device. Receiver 12 could be a standalone devicesuch as a universal infrared receiver (OIR), a DVR, a DVD recorder, aPC, or any device that supports wireless capabilities. The remotecontrol discovery information could be communicated from one remotecontrol device to another remote control device. In addition, thecodeset identifier could be in other format and is not limited to athree digit number as long as it uniquely identifies the correspondingelectronic consumer device. Accordingly, various modifications,adaptations, and combinations of various features of the describedembodiments can be practiced without departing from the scope of theinvention as set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: transmitting from a remotecontrol device to a set top box a codeset identifier that was retrievedfrom a memory device of the remote control device, wherein the codesetidentifier corresponds to a codeset that is currently being used by theremote control device in a normal operating mode of the remote controldevice to control functional operations of an intended target device andwherein an entirety of the codeset identifier is transmitted to the settop box as part of a single wireless data communication; and causinginformation representative of the received codeset identifier to bedisplayed by the set top box in a display device associated with the settop box.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote controlis caused to transmit the codeset identifier in response to a first keyentry code being provided to the remote control device.
 3. The method asrecited in claim 2, comprising causing the remote control to transmit tothe set top box battery condition information in response to a secondkey entry code being provided to the remote control device wherein thesecond key entry code is distinct from the first key entry code.
 4. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein the information representative ofthe received codeset identifier to be displayed by the set top box in adisplay device associated with the set top box comprises a brand for theintended target device.
 5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein theinformation representative of the received codeset identifier to bedisplayed by the set top box in a display device associated with the settop box further comprises a model for the intended target device.